Accolades
by majiharu
Summary: Takahashi Yuuhei was a bullied mute in her former life. Discovering that she was dead but alive in the Afterlife, she secretly learns to adapt to her new ability to speech in order to ease the angst among her new found friends.


Heaving the unconscious girl on his back, Ayato Naoi gave a heavy sigh. 'Why did I have to do this?', he breathed and stopped. He looked over his shoulder at her, 'Hm, still not awake yet, huh?', he squinted at her. Short dark chestnut hair stretched just below her ears with a small orange flower held together a plait in her locks. She wore an faded pink seifuku that flowed in the wind. Her body was quite small and delicate, to Ayato's surprise. Arriving at the nurse's office, he set the girl down on a bed. He watched as NPC students walked past the room. Ayato felt a breeze brush his face a intertwining with his green fringes. "I heard there was a new girl.", Yuzuru Otonashi stood at the doorframe. Ayato's gaze perked up from the girl to Yuzuru. "Otonashi!", he exclaimed, his voice reaching its gentle pitch. A voice raised from behind him, "Ah... Where am I?", as Ayato turned, their gazes locked. "Waah?", she tilted her head,"Who are you?". "I am god.", Ayato declared, his voice deepening and a smile gently creasing his cheeks. "Drop it, Naoi.",Yuzuru said, a serious expression beginning to grow into his face, then briefly melting into a warm expression as he turned to the girl, "I'm Otonashi Yuzuru.". Ayato cleared his throat, "I am Naoi Ayato; I am the Vice President of the student council.". The girl straightened her back, a relaxed expression overthrowing her curious face. "My name is Takahashi Yuuhei.", she began,"Nice to meet you, Naoi-sama, Otonashi-san.". "Sama?", Ayato was able to evaluate the girl's appearance clearly. Yes, it appeared she was from a different school. Her eyes glimmered a display of fallen, autumn leaves crunching beneath youthful feet. Her bangs were swept mostly to the left almost as if it was pointing to the orange flower plaited into her hair. Her hands were folded delicately in her lap as she sat up. Her skin was pale, however, she seemed very healthy as a warm glow lingered from her cheeks. "Yes, sama.", Yuuhei repeated, "You are a Vice President in this school's student council, are you not? It is only respectful to speak to you in that way.", she gave a brief expression of confusion as her eyes gazed intently at Ayato. The window behind her began to spew warm breaths of spring air. Her locks were tousled in the breeze as she tucked loose hair behind her ears, only to be pulled away once again. Ayato just stared gazed at her; her eyes, her hair, the delicate curves of her face, her lips, and her overall! "Oh.", Ayato stopped, but then realizing he had been silent for too long while staring at her, he cleared his throat and spoke again, pulling his hat down over his flustered face,"Y-yeah! I am a god, after all!". He glanced at Yuzuru, then back at Yuuhei, "Would you like to join us, Takahashi-san?", Ayato smiled for a moment, "Would you like to join the Afterlife Battlefront?". Yuuhei fell silent, her eyes growing wide and her face paling, "Afterlife..?", she whispered to herself, "I'm dead?", she looked around frantically,"I'm dead? Naoi-sama, I'm really dead?". "You don't remember how you died?", he pressed the question on her gently, hoping she would not give a negative expression. Yuuhei stopped, gazed into nothing, then looked back up at Ayato, "Well..", she began, a finger to her chin, "I really don't remember alot... I think.. I think I was at the top of a building?". Ayato exchanged a glance with Yuzuru, 'She has amnesia like you, Otonashi.', he thought, hoping his mental message would reach him. Looking back at Yuuhei, he knelt by her bedside, "Come back with us.", he held out a hand to her. Yuuhei stared at his hand, then up to his face. She gazed into his golden eyes and the green fringes that had strewn his forehead. She reached out her hand to his hesitantly. She pressed all five fingers in his palm, soon squeezed gently together with his fingers. The two rose together, then following Yuzuru outside the infirmary.

As they walked outside, Ayato slowly loosened his grasp on Yuuhei's finger. Gradually, Yuuhei was free of his hands. She folded her fingers together behind her back, and walked closely beside Ayato. She stared up at him, being able to observe him better. He wore a plain black gakuran with the two top buttons slightly ajar to reveal a white Oxford shirt and a tie. He wore a black hat over his olive green locks. The colour of his eyes were a bright bronze, only slightly dusted with a dark golden tinge. What made him stand out to her was his eyes; those golden orbs. She watched as the wind only barely grazed his green, loosely styled fringes. Ayato glanced at her at the corner of his vision. Yuuhei's eyes windened, then her gaze drifted elsewhere, and sheepish smile slightly creasing her cheeks. Yuzuru looked back at Ayato and Yuuhei, who weren't too far behind him. "Takahashi-san, we're almost there.", he smiled briefly before turning back around. Yuuhei nodded once, then turned to Ayato,"Uhm..", she began,"Where are we going?". "You're going to meet our leader,Yurippe. She has something to say to you.", Ayato stated bluntly. "Oh, 'Yurippe', huh?", she put a finger to her lip,"She sounds like a nice person.". "Yeah.", Yuzuru turned to them slightly,"Yuri's a great leader.". "So why is the Afterlife Battlefront called the Battlefront?", Yuuhei asked both of them, "I understand the 'Afterlife' part, but what I don't comprehend is why is it called the Battlefront? Who exactly are we battling?". "Angel.", Ayato stated sharply. He stared out at the baseball field they passed.

"Naoi.", Yuzuru turned to them, a harsh tone slurred into his voice. "What is it, Otonashi?", Ayato perked up, his dark bronze eyes beginning to golden. "There's trouble.", Yuzuru pulled out a hand gun from within his jacket, running towards the rest of the Afterlife Battlefront. The others were spreading out into baseball fields, circling something- or someone. "Huh?", Ayato grumbled,"This is really happening right now? Tch, what a hassle.", he threw his hands in his pockets, then reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pair of guns. He stepped forward, then turned on a heel, "Takahashi-san... Stay here,alright?", he said. Yuuhei nodded. "But Naoi-sama...", she began, "What's going on? What if you get hurt?", she asked in a single breath, her hands clasped together. "It's alright.", he said, "We're dead already, aren't we?", he didn't even crack a smile. Just a single turn, and he was off.

Yuuhei watched Ayato run down the path to the baseball field. She tried to bring a positive expression to her face, but couldn't help but worry for Yuzuru and Ayato. She sat down on the side of the path, hugging her knees and her chin resting on her forearms.

"Hey."

Yuuhei looked up. A girl with long pink hair pulled into short pigtails at the tops stood a few feet away from her. Her shirt was small enough to partially see her belly and her hair was decorated with crosses. Her legs were strapped with dark coloured belts. "Who're you?", the girl asked, her dark magenta eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Takahashi Yuuhei...", Yuuhei stared up at her. "You can call me Yui, I guess.", 'Yui' responded, "Are you the new girl that one weird green haired kid and Otonashi discovered?", she asked. "Oh..Naoi-sama and Otanashi-san?...",Yuuhei nodded once,"Yeah. That's me..". Yui stared at her for a moment as guns shot against the silence. The gun shots echoed throughout the campus, screeching in Yuuhei's ears. "You're pretty formal when it comes to talking.", Yui commented, "Seems like you've been raised well.". Yuuhei nodded, "My mother taught me..", she said,"I don't remember much about my death but I remember a bit about my past..", her gaze pointed towards the ground as if in a deep thought.


End file.
